But Macy's and JCPenney aren't the only retailers caught up in the Black Friday store hours creep. Based on last year's patterns, we expect a multitude of stores to be open on Thanksgiving Day — which means savvy shoppers may need to alter their Black Friday game plan this year.

The Race to Be First: Black Friday Store Hours Start on Thanksgiving

Black Friday is without a doubt one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and as a result, we've seen stores open their doors earlier and earlier with each passing season. In fact, 180 stores at the Mall of America broke tradition last year and opened their doors at midnight on Black Friday, the earliest ever.

But why wait until Friday when a retailer can open on Thanksgiving Day? Last year Target, Walmart, and Searswere just a few of the major retailers to welcome early bird shoppers on Thursday evening rather than early Friday morning. Even if a store is hesitant to start its commercial sales on a national holiday, the demand to be first and remain strong in the face of competition has forced vendors of all sorts to consider earlier Black Friday store hours. In fact, an executive vice president at JCPenney was quoted by the Associated Press, lamenting the fact that JCPenney was one of the last retailers to open during Black Friday in 2012. The chain is certainly hoping to remedy that this time around.

If all this sounds overwhelming, then be sure to bookmark this page, as we'll be updating the charts below with all the latest confirmed and rumored/projected Black Friday store hours. Alternatively, click here to receive anemail alert whenever we post an update.

While only a handful of stores have made their hours official so far, we can learn a lot by looking back on retailer strategies from last year. Below are some projected store hours based on 2012 hours, although keep in mind that many vendors may give in to the "earlier is better" trend for Black Friday 2013.